Sometimes we get so used to our surroundings that even the slightest upgrade can vastly improve the landscape in a commercial or residential district. It's that type of forward thinking that Buffalo needs in order to bring back some of the beauty lost.
F&S Design Studio specializes in exterior design of high-end residential and commercial facades and scapes. In their two years of business, they've worked with several Buffalo entities, including Nardin Academy, the Neuman Center, the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural Site, and more. read article
F&S Design Studio of Buffalo, NY, in collaboration with Urban Nature and SilverLion Design, LTD. placed 2nd in ‘Re-Burbia’, an international design competition sponsored by Dwell Magazine and Inhabitat.com. The competition was dedicated to re-envisioning the suburbs, promoting sustainability, walkability and a sense of community. The design team will be featured in the December issue of Dwell magazine along with an editorial feature on Dwell.com and Inhabitat.com.
Our concept: ‘Entrepreneurbia’ Rezoning Suburbia for Self-Sustaining Life
The concept proposed by F&S Design Studio and group, simply abolishes poorly conceived zoning laws to attract forward-thinking small business owners and start-up companies to suburban areas. The result is a community of entrepreneurs who transform inefficient single-family dwellings and purely decorative landscape spaces into intelligent home-based businesses. From chic shops & showrooms to designer offices, award-winning restaurants, and even boutique farms, the new residents of Entrepreneurbia infuse once sterile suburbs with a distinctive sense of character & community.
Eventually, individual Entrepreneurbia communities become self-sustaining as entrepreneurs open profitable businesses that satisfy the needs of the community. This eliminates the need for cars to complete necessary daily activities. Meanwhile, public transit routes are updated, allowing residents to conveniently & sustainably travel between the Entrepreneurbia communities and into the urban cores.
Rigid zoning laws have created many of the problems typically associated with suburban sprawl. Possibly the largest of these problems is the segregation of residential and commercial spaces. The problem is fairly straight forward. When people do not live, work, shop and eat within walking distance of where they live, extensive transportation infrastructure is needed to allow people to regularly travel greater distances.
Jennifer Lee Fedeson, owner and lead designer of local design firm F&S Design Studio, saw the potential in these spaces as she provided the design concepts and renderings for each case study included in the project. Troy Silva, owner of Urban Nature, was the visionary of the highly talked about concept, while David Roberts, an extremely talented graphics designer and owner of Silver Lion Design, LTD., created an identity for each business with his talents for branding, as well as the layout of the design submittal itself. Urban Nature and Silver Lion Design Ltd. are both California based companies.
“While residing in California I was fortunate to establish some key relationships with some very talented and ambitious entrepreneurs. I was thrilled to be a part of this team and cannot believe we placed 2nd out of over 400 entries worldwide. Each partner had a key component that allowed the panel of judges, as well as a ton of readers, to really understand and except the concept. And it worked! We successfully created a buzz, are continuing to develop this concept and are looking forward to seeing it become a reality.” Jennifer, F&S Design Studio.
Please visit Re-Burbia to view our entire submittal.
The Interior Design Association organized a Tree Planting in memory of Andrew T. Conta. Andrew was a former member of the IDA and not only a colleague to many of the association but a friend as well. Andrew passed away October 16th, 2008.
The planting took place at Chestnut Ridge park on June 20th. As you can see it was a very rainy day but that didn't stop us from planting this beautiful Japanese Lilac in memory of our dear friend. We miss you Andy and you'll always be remembered!
with David Homes and the Interior Design Association of WNY...
Photography by Dennis Stierer
This year F&S took on the exterior landscaping, front & back Patios:
These spaces were designed and installed with a 'Green' concept in mind. A native plant palette and local materials can be incorporated into any outdoor space to help achieve a sustainable landscape design. Shade trees on the south side of your home will alleviate some of the high cooling costs in the hot summers, while evergreens create a barrier for the cold winter winds.
Photography by Dennis Stierer A rain garden is incorporated into the design to provide a 'green' alternative to storm water management. We also incorporated some recycled, decorative garden art and natural wood furniture made of Ipe (a sustainable Brazilian hardwood).
Buffalo, New York – July 27, 2009 F&S Design Studio, Helping Revitalize Downtown North Tonawanda
A historic building in downtown North Tonawanda was recently brought back to life. F&S Design Studio was fortunate to be involved with the Webster Street project from conceptual design through project management. The façade renovations are now complete and the transformation has truly made this storefront one-of-a-kind. The project, located at 79-81 and 84 Webster Street, started in November of 2008 and is now 95% complete.
There has been a spur of development in downtown North Tonawanda, and the Partners in Art, Studios at Partners in Art, and Lou’s Restaurant façades were in desperate need of renovations. Dean Sutton Architects provided the building site analysis and design, F&S Design Studio provided the finish schedule and signage design, and Fedeson & Son Construction, Inc. was the general contractor for the project.
F&S developed a finish schedule including paint colors, awning fabric selection, custom scroll work and signage. The overall design was inspired by historical photos of the early 1900’s building. F&S Design Studio’s services were retained by Lumber City Development Corporation (LCDC), a highly active participant in the rebirth of this historic district. LCDC obtained a 50% matching grant from the State of New York to help complete this historical renovation project.
F&S Design Studio has been involved in several other projects in this historical area including the temporary façade treatment for 64 Webster Street, plantings at Gateway Harbor Park, and conceptual signage proposals for recent up-and-coming business in the area. The design studio is actively working on both residential and commercial projects throughout Western New York.
The Green Cleaners, LLC Conceptual Facade Renovation Buffalo, New York
The Green Cleaners, a new eco-friendly cleaner that is opening locations throughout WNY needed a fresh, contemporary and “green” image. F&S Design in conjunction with Nest Interiors provided the company with image and branding concepts for eco-friendly interior finishes and exterior facade treatments for their several proposed drop locations around WNY, as well as their main manufacturing plant located in the city of Buffalo.
This year’s show house was located on Le Brun Ave. at the impressive E.B. Green’s Wallace estate. F&S Design Studio was approached to design a garden space to help improve the visitor’s experience outdoors. We, along with our friends at Lincoln Park Nursery (Amherst, NY), provided a formal yet fun evergreen garden, that was minimalist yet provided a unique experience for those who visited.
Rising Star: Jennifer Lee Fedeson and Michelle Bailey
Sisters Find Opportunity Outdoors Business First of Buffalo - by Matt Chandler Business First
At first glance, the concept of a business catering to outdoor design opening shop in Buffalo seems to go together about as well as the Buffalo Bills and...well, the playoffs. But for sisters Jennifer Lee Fedeson and Michelle Bailey, they saw a burgeoning market for their services and it led the duo to open F&S Design Studio, a full-service exterior design company, in 2007.(more)
